Moscow, 22 Feb. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said today that he does not rule out the United States abandoning the START III or New START nuclear disarmament treaty, the suspension of which was announced by Moscow on Tuesday. by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“I don’t exclude anything. Previously, they (the Americans) denounced many treaties,” Ryabkov told reporters, according to Interfax, when answering the question of whether the United States could abandon New START. , the only current nuclear disarmament treaty. . , in response to its suspension by Russia.
He added that “it is difficult to predict” Washington’s reaction, but asserted that the American course of action “does not inspire optimism”.
Ryabkov stressed that there is currently a dialogue between Russia and the United States and “it is not known when it will resume”.
He explained that all information exchanges and all elements referring to verification activities related to New START will be without effect for Russia once the suspension of the treaty is formalized by a legislative act, which will be adopted eventually today. today by the Russian Parliament.
Asked what decisions Washington would have to make for Moscow to take over New START obligations, Ryabkov said only Putin could answer that question.
“The President will decide whether the conditions are met to revise or clarify yesterday’s decision (the suspension of the treaty) or whether additional countermeasures are adopted. These questions can only be decided by the President,” he said. He insists.
At the same time, the deputy minister stressed that Moscow sees no indication that Washington’s behavior “is going to change for the better, even in some respects.”
Russia’s suspension of New START was announced by Putin in his state of the nation report to both houses of parliament on Tuesday.
“You want to inflict a strategic defeat on us and they are breaking into our nuclear facilities. That is why I am compelled to state that Russia has suspended its participation in the Strategic Offensive Arms Treaty (New START),” the head of the Kremlin.
New START was signed in Prague on April 8, 2010 by then US President Barack Obama and Russia’s Dmitry Medvedev.
New START limited the number of strategic nuclear weapons, with a maximum of 1,550 nuclear warheads and 700 ballistic systems for each of the two powers, on land, at sea or in the air. ECE
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